Former Mumbai EOW chief left in limbo without fresh posting

Mumbai: The irony will not be lost upon the Joint Commissioner of police, economic offences wing (EOW), Niket Kaushik, who was suddenly transferred out of his post in April 2022 and has been languishing ever since, without being offered a new posting.

Almost exactly a year ago, Kaushik had issued a notice to unit heads stating, “Possible transfers of officers who are completing four years in EOW as of May 31, 2021, is not ruled out in upcoming general transfers (which occurs every year in June). Hence all unit heads are hereby directed that henceforth not to give such officers the investigation of new cases.”

Ironically, Kaushik himself was shunted out of the EOW last month, before he could complete a tenure of two years.

There is speculation in police circles that there was pressure being brought to bear upon Kaushik to register a case against a senior politician; he was moved out when he refused.

“Kaushik was replaced by Additional Commissioner of Police (North) Pravind Padwal, who was promoted and given charge of the Mumbai EOW. Strangely, despite four marathon sessions of questioning of the senior political leader (and his son) by the new EOW Chief, the intended case did not get registered nor, did the police arrest him,” a well-placed official told First India.

“The police department has always been treated like a handmaiden by the political class. Conscientious police officers, therefore, face the prospect of being sidelined for refusing to listen to the diktats of their political masters,” a retired Indian Administrative Service officer, who has served as an additional chief secretary (Home) told First India, asking not to be named.

In February this year, former DirectorGeneral of Maharashtra Sanjay Pande was appointed as the Mumbai Police Commissioner to replace Hemant Nagrale, who is believed to have similarly fallen afoul of the MVA government.

“Why else would the high profile Mumbai CP-designated IPS officer be suddenly shunted out and posted as the Director of the Maharashtra State Security Guard Board, with its nondescript office located in the World Trade Centre in Cuffe Parade in south Mumbai?” asks a senior BJP leader and adds, “Nagrale had also similarly, declined to register the case against the opposition party leader and paid the price.”